Suspicion
by Just Akiko
Summary: The person in L loved the snow for a million different reasons. The detective in L loved it for one and one alone: stealth. ONESHOT, COMPLETE. Minimal spoilers for up to Yotsuba arc.


_Written before I saw very much of the anime/manga so although this can fit somewhere around the Yotsuba arc, before Light regains his memories, there's no chain joining them. And yes it is, potentially, a little OOC, but only depending on your opinion on the Light/L relationship._

_This is L/Light fluff with a bit of suspicion thrown in, the relationship is there or not depending on if you want to see it._

_Inspired by the snow in Estonia, that I looked at and lived in for three long months._

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note, but this story is mine.**

**SUSPICION**

_**By JustAkiko **_

L loved the snow.

He liked the way it glittered and glowed in moonlight, making the world seem alight even when darkness came. It helped his heart beat easier by making dirty, dangerous cities look clean and quaint, peaceful almost. He especially liked the way it fell from the sky; spinning and gliding with an unrivaled softness, looking almost like sugar crystals dusting every available surface. Yes the person in L - the childish naiveté he coveted like cookies - loved the snow for a million different reasons.

The detective in L loved it for one reason alone; stealth. The silence of his footsteps as he padded across the once-grassy hotel courtyard was comfort enough to save his thumb from a severe biting. Approaching a suspected murderer was never a particularly secure situation. Approaching a suspect whom you also considered your closest companion did nothing for the stability of a young detective's nerves. His infallible logic would not allow him to deny the kinship he felt towards the brunette before him, any more than it would deny the dampness quickly seeping into his sneakered feet. But his loyalties remained with the one constant in his life, justice, and if that meant sneaking around Yagami Light in the hopes of exposing him, then L would obey, allowing the current snowfall to make his job at least 56 successful and rising…

Or so he'd calculated.

The metallic _scritch scratch _of pencil lead came to an abrupt halt and the dark haired youth froze, calculations discarded as he was caught a mere three metres from his prey.

"Can I help you, Ryuuzaki?"

Confusion clouded only a minute part of his prestigious brain as L recovered from the surprise of being discovered. His ebony eyes glared momentarily at the snowy carpet beneath his feet; obviously its benefits were somewhat limited to the aesthetic. Determined not to allow his failure to be a total loss, the detective attuned all his wits and took a larger, more purposeful step forwards.

"What are you doing, Light-kun?"

So much for subtlty. His voice sounded as soft and innocently curious as always, but something about the cold night air highlighted the razor edge that laced each word. Suspicion was something the detective was beginning to find difficult to cover around his work-partner; or was it desperation? L shook his head quickly to dispel the disquieting thoughts; Ryuuzaki however remained unsure.

The voice that answered him was tight and clipped, "Nothing that concerns you, my friend." and followed by a sigh that could almost be called disappointed. Without ever turning to look back at him, the brunette shook his head slightly, before reopening the leather bound book in his hands and beginning to scratch at it with a pencil once more.

Sharp, black eyes could not deny the exaggerated tilt of Light-kun's right shoulder as it forged a barrier between L's eye-line and the page on which the boy-genius was working so fervently. Suspicion swelled to an almost dreadful anxiety as L calculated the threat posed by such an obvious refusal and came up with figures that were not promising. The white world surrounding him became hazy and dark as his righteous determination took over, spiced with a distinct flavour of anger and fear.

"Show me." He bit out, the words suddenly colder than their wintry surroundings.

The change of tone was not missed by Light, if the stiffness in his neck and the increased gratings of his pencil were anything to go by. However it seemed the biting December air had also hardened his stubborn resolve and he merely snorted in response, the breath huffing into view just over his blockading shoulder. The defiance raised the hackles on Ryuuzaki's neck far higher than the weather ever could.

"I said, show me, _Light-kun_."

The name came out harsher than he'd intended, a drawling sneer that echoed with the sound of _'Kira'_A part of Ryuuzaki registered his own surprise at the deliberate baiting, but was quickly silenced underneath the silent hole left by a forgotten pencil. The air in his chest paused, chilling, as the smaller boy watched that defiant shoulder turn slowly towards him.

With a reluctance that was almost palpable Light turned to face his accuser. The glare from the snow-covered lawn made his ruby eyes glow almost ethereally, the image making even the great L's feet slip somewhat in the same freezing substance. He could see the tension in the taller boy's grip, his knuckles clutched white against the black notebook, as if it were about to detonate. Then, to the detective's great surprise, those same fingers slowly peeled back the pages to reveal the possibly incriminating designs within.

A breath he didn't even know he was holding flew from L's chest in a gasp, as he recognised the delicately drawn lines.

A picture.

_Just a picture. _

True, it was one of admirable skill and impressive likeness, but a brief glance told the brilliant detective that his supposed incriminating evidence was little more than a pencil sketch; depicting one of the larger sakura tree standing bare at the end of the hotel lawn. The lines were delicate but confident and the image sat comfortably, surrounded by a page of plainest white. It was a simple sketch, beautiful in its ease. Just like the snow…

Ryuuzaki cringed as his cheeks burned a vibrant, apologetic red.

"A-ano…"

Forcing his dark eyes to meet the somewhat smug gaze that Light now graced him with the young detective forced the erratic re-calculations of the past few moments into a secondary train of thought. With a deep breath he calmed his useless stuttering and took a careful step forward.

"It's a very nice picture, Light-kun. I didn't know you liked to draw."

The smug grin became broader and in the dim light Light's eyes danced with obvious satisfaction. L fought the instinctive urge to punch him for his cockiness and instead allowed a small, rueful smile to grace his numbing features. To his relief, Light returned it.

"I didn't, until recently." The brunette offered, just a little too flippantly. "But it seemed like a good way to pass the time. After all it's just a case of defining shapes and calcu…"

"…calculating angles, of course; very logical."

Ryuuzaki allowed his grin to grow somewhat as the snow come back into focus, lightening the shadows around the sketchbook and his ever-watchful eyes. Light was back to being Light-kun, his thoughts familiar and easily calculated. As his current Kira percentage dropped back to 2 L found himself relaxing a little; the snow really was beautiful tonight...

_Speaking of which…_

"Ryuuzaki, you didn't…"

A strong hand indicated to the scrawny boy's lack of coat, hat or even pullover. Still clad in his customary jeans and white shirt, Ryuuzaki was apparently becoming slave to his body's needs now the adrenaline surge was wearing off. Translating Light's meaning, L looked down at damp jeans and soggy sneakers and the cold hit him like a physical force; a violent shiver raced down his spine and before he could even attempt to bring it under control, the young detective felt his whole body begin to tremble uncontrollably, as his fingers threatened numbness from the inside of his shirt sleeves. However, it was the sudden change to Light's smirking face that made the smaller boy smile self-consciously through chattering teeth.

"I was in a hurry." He stated simply, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Apparently to his fellow genius it was, because the expected glare and indignation never returned to Light's handsome face. He merely sighed wearily as his eyes shone with concern; eyes that Ryuuzaki suddenly felt fit to drown in.

Before he could tear himself away from the intruiguingly worried look, the smaller boy felt a heavy weight press against his shoulders, surrounding him, confining him. The natural panic that took hold of his mind sent his whole being rigid, resulting in a sudden slip on his already numb feet.

"Easy, easy." The voice was a warm breath against his ear, burning the frigid skin with a delicious mixture of pleasure and pain. Ryuuzaki couldn't help the tiny gasp that parted his blueish lips as two string arms grasped hims around the middle, pulling the confinement tighter. For a split second he thought his predictions had failed him; that he had finally lost to Kira, taken off guard, lost in the beauty of the snow. But his panic faltered when the clean, musky smell that had come to linger around headquarters on a daily basis, surrounded him more fully than ever. Rationality returning, black eyes shot downwards to meet soft brown fabric. Burying his face reflexively in the warm coat surrounding him, he barely caught his own whisper.

"Light…"

He felt more than saw the chuckle that came from the taller boy, now standing with the sketchbook in one hand, holding his own heavy coat tightly around Ryuuzaki with the other. What the detective missed altogether was the fond smile that barely quirked his lips, as he tugged the other boy back towards the hotel doors.

"Of course, baka, who else would it be?"

The pause was almost imperceptible… but it was there.

"Don't answer that."

"Alright."

"Let's go in."

"Mm."

_End _

_Thanks for reading! Any reviews will be very much appreciated!_


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